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Buccaneers Ready for First Preseason Game Against Jacksonville Jaguars

August 5th, 2014 at 6:54 PM By Michael Compton

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are ready to face an opponent. After nearly two weeks of battling each other in training camp, the Bucs travel up the road on Friday to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars in the team’s first preseason game.

[Michael Compton photo/Buccaneers training camp]

Coach Lovie Smith admitted the players are getting anxious for their first taste of live action against an opponent.

“This many reps together, you do know that,” Smith told 98.7 The Fan. “But it’s the second week in training camp, game week for that first preseason game. We’ll get our wisp before long. These next days we go through we have to keep grinding through it.”

With the Bucs defense growing familiar with the offense in drills, the defense prevailed in the majority of action during Monday’s practice at One Buc Place. New offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford weighed in on the defense’s growing familiarity with the offensive calls.

“It was very evident that our guys (defense) have seen our stuff a lot," Tedford said. “It’ll be nice to just go in and hit new bodies and execute against different people. It’ll be exciting.”

Tedford is confident the offense is coming together under veteran leadership at key positions.

“I’m really impressed by some of the leadership of some of the guys like Josh (McCown), Vincent (Jackson), and Evan (Dietrich-Smith) up front,” Tedford said. “I think we’re showing signs of being a really good football team. It’s still a process that we’re going through, but that’s what practice is for. We’re getting better every day and learning a lot.”

On Tuesday, the Buccaneers announced that they have signed defensive end Ryne Giddins, a college free agent from the University of South Florida, and defensive end James Ruffin, who entered the league as a college free agent with the Bucs in 2010 before being waived. He later signed to Cincinnati’s practice squad and was released in 2011. He has been a member of the Spokane Shock (AFL) since 2012.

The team also announced that they have waived (injured) linebacker Jeremy Grable and safety Mycal Swaim.